GBLUES to remain part of SASD, at least for this school year

SHIPPENSBURG - Grace B. Luhrs University Elementary School will remain a part of Shippensburg Area School District at least for the next school year.

The Shippensburg Area school board on Monday announced a one-year agreement with Shippensburg University that will keep the university lab school a part of the school district.

Students, faculty and staff at GBLUES will see some changes to start and end times and transportation this school year due to the agreement. These two things were the key issues in the discussions between the district and university leading up to the agreement being made.

Beginning this fall, a school day at GBLUES will begin at 8:15 a.m. and last until 3:15 p.m. This change backs up the school day about a half hour and will allow for district school buses to fit GBLUES students into their schedule, as previously GBLUES parents had to provide their own transportation for their children.

GBLUES students will also share their buses with students from the Shippensburg Area Intermediate School. Buses will stop at the intermediate school before proceeding to GBLUES.

This one-year agreement will be the last as is. Per a requirement of the agreement to give a year's notice of termination, the board voted to inform the university that it would not be moving forward with the agreement next year.

"It would terminate this agreement and that doesn't preclude coming to terms on a new agreement," board president Mark Buterbaugh said.

This will allow the district to make changes if needed down the road, and come up with a new agreement.

Also discussed at the meeting was a proposition by the SASD Athletic Foundation Committee on how to raise the necessary funds for a new stadium. The district currently uses the stadium at Veterans Memorial Park for football and some other athletic events, and discussions on the district building its own stadium have been in the works.

Committee member Alison Van Scyoc presented a $7 million, two-phase plan to raise the money for the proposed stadium. Phase one would consist of one stadium with two turf fields, lighting, and parking for a total of $5.7 million and phase two, $1.2 million, would consist of adding permanent structures such as restrooms, concession stands, and a team room for teams to plot strategy at halftime and other intermissions. The committee is waiting for permission from the board to begin the fundraising for the project.

"We don't want to raise taxes. Dirt won't be moved until the funding is there," Van Scyoc said.